Response to Canadian PM regarding Holocaust Statement

Yesterday, the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, issued the following statement on the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust:

“On this day, we pay tribute to the memory of the millions of victims murdered during the Holocaust. We honour those who survived atrocities at the hands of the Nazi regime, and welcome their courageous stories of hope and perseverance.

“The Holocaust is a stark reminder of the dangers and risks of allowing hate, prejudice, and discrimination to spread unchallenged. It also reminds us that silence must never be an option when humanity is threatened.

“As we pause to educate ourselves and our families on the bitter lessons of the Holocaust, we also strengthen our resolve to work with domestic and international partners to continue defending human rights and condemning intolerance.” (http://pm.gc.ca/eng/news/2016/01/27/statement-prime-minister-canada-holocaust-remembrance-day#sthash.HaeK6PuF.dpuf)

His failure to make explicate reference to the Jewish people and/or anti-Semitism prompted me to submit the following to his office:

I would like to express my great concern that the Prime Minister’s remarks yesterday regarding International Holocaust Remembrance Day included no reference to its particular relevancy to the Jewish people or to anti-Semitism.

While many other people suffered and died at the hands of the Nazi regime and the Holocaust teaches us the need for tolerance of all religious and ethnic groups, to pretend that it was a general evil against humanity rather than a very specific and calculated crime against the Jewish people, not only fuels anti-Semitism, but undermines society’s ability to effectively deal with specific prejudice and hatred towards identifiable groups, be that the Jews or others.

If you share my concern, feel free to send your comments to him as well (https://pm.gc.ca/en/connect/contact).